to cook / zingerman’s and pasta

An ex-roommate introduced me to Zingerman’s, a gourmet food heaven, via a birthday gelato delivery. I have never been to Ann Arbor (and probably won’t have a reason to ever go), but Zingerman’s has managed to make me salivate over their hand drawn catalogs. The catalogs are educational on how to best use their products. I usually place an order once a year during their summer sale (which is going on now, end date unknown) and I do some research on what’s worth getting from Z’s. I highly recommend signing up for the catalog because often you will get an additional 10% code around sale time.

My favorites:

Rustichella Italian Pasta. Pretty much the only pasta I have at home for the infrequent times that we cook it. It’s durable and has an amazing chewy texture. Another friend says it tasted amazing as leftovers (I’m sure she reheated it). I’ve bought it before on Amazon(price fluctuates). I’ve purchased spaghetti, fettucini, and bucatini; bucatini currently reigns at home because we bought it off Amazon as a pack of 4.

Il Mongetto Pasta Sauce. The first time I tried Il Mongetto’s original sauce, I took their suggestion and mixed a tin of Ortiz tuna (in olive oil) on top of the Rustichella pasta. It was a game changer. If you like spicy sauces, definitely give the Mezzanotte or Diavola a try. The other day, I mixed smoked eel (not on sale this year) with the Diavola sauce.

Ortiz Bonito Tinned Tuna. Much respect was given for Spanish tinned seafood after a trip to Barcelona’s Quimet y Quimet. This tuna is my favorite. I definitely keep some olive oil when I mix it with pasta. Sometimes it’s cheaper on Amazonand may be at your neighborhood market.

I admit, even the sale prices are a little to swallow so it’s more reason to stock up. I justify that it will always more cost effective than a night out at an Italian restaurant.

Pictured: Bucatini goes great with the Kewpie tuna mayo packet (which has disappeared from my Mitsuwa and I haven’t DIY’ed…) and a can of tuna.